Marseille

Manuel Uzhca's story reads like a fairytale. He came to New York from Ecuador when he was seventeen with absolutely nothing to his name and spent time as a dishwasher in a number of restaurants. He met Jean-Claude Baker when both were working at Pronto, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side. In 2011, Jean-Claude offered Manuel the position of manager at Chez Josephine — little did Manuel know that only four years later, the restaurant would belong to him. Manuel still recalls the day that Jean-Claude asked him to bring in his passport. Confused by his request, Manuel chose not to comply. Jean-Claude teased Manuel by saying, “If you don't bring your passport, that means you don't want my restaurant. ” The next day, still perplexed, Manuel presented his passport. Jean-Claude marched the two of them to the bank and added Manuel's name to his account, giving him permission to sign checks for the restaurant. Shortly after, Jean-Claude announced that he was retiring, but Manuel did not take him seriously. Jean-Claude then told him that he was leaving and insisted, “I won't be back. ” Jean-Claude proceeded to his attorney's office, changed his will, and went off to the Hamptons. He called Manuel to make sure that everything was in order at the restaurant, and then, very sadly, Jean-Claude took his own life. “I did not believe I owned the place, not even when they showed me the will, ” Manuel declared. Jean-Claude was the last of the children adopted into singer-dancer Josephine Baker’s “Rainbow Tribe, ” created with a mission of racial harmony. He lived and performed with her for a time before making his way to New York and eventually opening this restaurant. It quickly became a haven for Broadway clientele, known for its charming and colorful ambiance as much as its haute cuisine. Since taking over in 2015, Manuel has continued running this famed French restaurant exactly how Jean-Claude left it — paying homage to Josephine Baker, who captured the Parisian imagination in the 1920s and did not let go for decades.

Opened by a gentleman known as Napoleon because of his “short stature and even shorter temper, ” Chez Napoleon does not simply pay homage to French culture — it strives to be French culture. Dimly lit and window-less, the interior is a world far removed from the streets of Manhattan. The warm French accent of owner Elyane Bruno and those who work alongside her, including her son William Welles, lends a special touch. The decor is a mix of black and white portraits, a jigsaw puzzle of Napoleon at Waterloo, and a sign that reads: “Save Water, Drink Wine. ”In 1982, the Bruno family took over the restaurant, and it was Elyane’s mom, “Grandmere” Marguerite, who was the chef for many years. “I’m the one who ran the restaurant. My mom did the cooking, and my dad tended the bar until he passed away in 1992. ” Despite drastic transformations to the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, Chez Napoleon has remained anchored. “The menu has stayed more or less the same — real French food that you do not often find in New York anymore. ”

“We do not try to be trendy. We are here for the long run, and that has always been a success for us, ” said Paul Denamiel, the owner and chef of Le Rivage, a veritable institution on Restaurant Row. His father, Marcel, opened the restaurant with a vision for transporting patrons to his childhood home in the south of France. Marcel was raised in a centuries-old house in a secluded village within the Pyrenees mountains. His mother undoubtedly sowed the seeds of his culinary passion, as she did all of her cooking in their hearth, with a traditional cauldron, grill, and bread oven placed over the wood fire. “Everything she produced for the table, she had a hand in nurturing and growing, ” Paul said, explaining that his grandmother kept her own rabbits, pigs, and chickens and maintained an extensive garden. Paul himself was able to indulge in this idyllic lifestyle and be inspired by her expertise, as his father made a point of closing Le Rivage once a year to take the family on a month-long sojourn to France. “A lot of my recipes are aimed at recapturing the flavors that my grandmother introduced me to. ” Consequently, Paul describes his bistro’s cuisine as “French comfort food, ” which includes a rich boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, and a simple ratatouille. It seemed inevitable that Paul would become a chef, not only due to his grandmother’s influence, but because all of his family members wound up in the food business. His father had several restaurants in New York, his mother had a creperie upstate, and most of his relatives had their own eateries in the U. S. “This was bred into me. ” As such, when Marcel was looking for a successor to lead Le Rivage, Paul, who had an “intensive education” in traditional French cuisine, was the natural choice. “My job was to bring in new recipes while staying true to the terms of the classic French style, from the food, to the decor, to the music. ”After decades of devotion to his businesses, Marcel continues to visit Le Rivage, as well as several other French establishments for which he is a landlord. “My father always said the restaurant came first. That is how you build a legacy, because the restaurant will be there long after we are not. ”

Although we did not dine at Pergola, we had the pleasure of speaking to some of the long-time staff members who were eager to share the history of this simple, quiet French gem. Having celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in 2013, Christian, the son of the original owners, continues serving his guests in the same style that his parents envisioned when they opened in 1963. Jacques and Marie Ponsolle came to New York from their village in the French Pyrenees and were able to recognize their dream in Pergola Des Artistes. The restaurant reflects their passion for their homeland in both the decor and the menu options. Despite its proximity to the theater district, and the many tourists who wander in for a good French meal, I think what impressed me the most was the continuous flow of diners coming in at lunch hour who told me that they have been eating here for decades and would not think of going anywhere else!

I can attest to the immediate success of Carmine's on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the early nineties as my family and friends stood on the lines to get in on a number of occasions. Owner Artie Cutler's concept of serving large, family-style portions to guests, in a warm, friendly atmosphere connected with diners immediately. It did not take Mr. Cutler long to realize that he had a success on his hands and that it was time for expansion. In 1992, the theater district had another hit in Times Square, in the form of a grand, traditional Italian restaurant.

Teddy Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindberg are among the noteworthy clients that E. B. Meyorwitz & Dell has been crafting “made-to-measure” frames for since 1875. Today, be it in their New York, London or Paris shops, one can still be fitted for a pair of the same classy, high quality spectacles.

Manuel Uzhca's story reads like a fairytale. He came to New York from Ecuador when he was seventeen with absolutely nothing to his name and spent time as a dishwasher in a number of restaurants. He met Jean-Claude Baker when both were working at Pronto, an Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side. In 2011, Jean-Claude offered Manuel the position of manager at Chez Josephine — little did Manuel know that only four years later, the restaurant would belong to him. Manuel still recalls the day that Jean-Claude asked him to bring in his passport. Confused by his request, Manuel chose not to comply. Jean-Claude teased Manuel by saying, “If you don't bring your passport, that means you don't want my restaurant. ” The next day, still perplexed, Manuel presented his passport. Jean-Claude marched the two of them to the bank and added Manuel's name to his account, giving him permission to sign checks for the restaurant. Shortly after, Jean-Claude announced that he was retiring, but Manuel did not take him seriously. Jean-Claude then told him that he was leaving and insisted, “I won't be back. ” Jean-Claude proceeded to his attorney's office, changed his will, and went off to the Hamptons. He called Manuel to make sure that everything was in order at the restaurant, and then, very sadly, Jean-Claude took his own life. “I did not believe I owned the place, not even when they showed me the will, ” Manuel declared. Jean-Claude was the last of the children adopted into singer-dancer Josephine Baker’s “Rainbow Tribe, ” created with a mission of racial harmony. He lived and performed with her for a time before making his way to New York and eventually opening this restaurant. It quickly became a haven for Broadway clientele, known for its charming and colorful ambiance as much as its haute cuisine. Since taking over in 2015, Manuel has continued running this famed French restaurant exactly how Jean-Claude left it — paying homage to Josephine Baker, who captured the Parisian imagination in the 1920s and did not let go for decades.

Opened in the summer of 2012, Beer Authority has more layers than an overdressed child in winter. At street level, neon signs advertise the presence of beer inside, which frankly was enough to catch our team's attention at the end of a long day. Walking in, we found ourselves in a small bar with a sweet bartender chatting languidly with a few customers, slowly digesting their food along with the daily news trickling down from the TV. This was the quintessential local watering hole. But wait! Stairs in the corner led to a second level, and this was where the real fun began. Over one hundred craft beers are offered, or perhaps instead are celebrated, as colorful flags bearing the crests of various breweries slouch down from the ceilings atop walls likewise bearing the brands. TVs aplenty stand at the ready to convert the potential energy of beer connoisseurship into the kinetic energy of sports fanaticism. And the story (or storey, perhaps), doesn't end there. A third rooftop level opens to the sky so that beer drinkers can commune with the heavens as they sip their cherished brew. In the winter, the space is covered and has heat lamps while in the warmer months, customers can feel the city breathing. Chatting with one of the managers and the new chef, Rob Steffen, I learned that the "very" Irish owners, Joe Donagher and Eamon Donnelley have a simple concept of offering plenty of space, a vast selection of beer, and good food to accompany it. The guys explained to me that each of the three floors offers a diversity of draught beers with sixteen on the ground floor, sixty-six on the main and twenty-eight on the rooftop. The enthusiastic staff is well-educated in the world of beer, and able to speak about any of them, including the different craft beers brought in each week. Customers are invited to try up to three tastings before selecting the pint they would like, and they can always opt for a flight of beer. And, just in case one needs another incentive to check out Beer Authority, happy hour begins at 11am and continues until 7pm! The brand new menu that Chef Rob recently rolled out emphasizes the excellent selection of craft beers by infusing it into some of his recipes. There is an ale-battered fish and chip dish, house made IPA honey mustard, Porter barbecue sauce for their pulled pork sandwich and a Porter cheddar dip for their hand-rolled pretzels. In addition, there is the Authority Burger.

On a bright afternoon, I gazed through the windows and marveled at this fairly new restaurant. I was enchanted by the decor and had a sense that this was going to be special. I made reservations for four on a weekend evening and had not only a fabulous meal, but also an overall enjoyable experience. White brick, black chairs, and a glowing wooden bar make stepping into Bea feel a bit like going back in time. The dining room features an upright piano and a projector showing black-and-white movies on the wall. Ranging from spinach tagliatelle to pork dumplings, the menu has a variety of dishes, and our group tried many of them. Beginning with tomato soup and the house made ricotta served on toasted bread with rosemary honey and sea salt, we moved on to a pear salad, the spicy lamb meatballs, a mushroom pizza, the English muffin burger and the steak and tomatoes. Enough for everyone to indulge and to walk away feeling very satisfied and ready to be entertained by the outstanding performance, Satchmo, in the Westside Theatre next door. By the time we were leaving, the bar scene had picked up considerably, as many were ordering Bea's playfully named specialty cocktails, such as the "Lavender Monk” and the "Bitter Duchess. ” There is no doubt that this is a restaurant that I will tell many about and continue to frequent myself.